Mommy
by TisTheEast
Summary: “Nine months,” Grissom echoed softly, finally putting the pieces together.
1. The present

**Title: Mommy  
  
**Author: Juliet (pandora1251@yahoo.com)  
  
**Disclaimer: not mine, never will be, just let me dream ;)  
  
**Rating: PG (there's a little bad language but not enough to make a huge thing out of it)  
  
**Spoilers: none  
  
**Author's Notes: This one has been in the works for a few weeks, but I decided to wait until it was completed. And boy am I glad I did!! The version you are now reading is bit different than what I start with, but it's much closer to what I had originally imagined. To save anyone confusion, the 1st and 4th chapters take place in the present and the 2nd and 3rd are in the past (but I think it's fairly obvious either way). So enjoy!!  
  
** Thank you's: Gabe-for always being there and never minding when I need to scribble an idea down. Joe-for listening to my rants and helping me with detective work The Graveyard Shift-you guys are my reason for doing this ;)  
  
"Mommy it's not fair!" the nine year old exclaimed, stamping her feet.  
  
"Lindsey, I just don't see why you need eighty dollar shoes. I mean, didn't I just buy you new shoes last weekend," an exasperated Catherine replied.  
  
"But Suzie's mommy got her those pink sparkly ones," Lindsey whined.  
  
"Well I'm not Suzie's mommy am I?" Catherine sighed.  
  
"I wish you were," Lindsey muttered.  
  
"What did you say, young lady?" Catherine asked, feeling ready to cry.  
  
"I said I wish you were Suzie's mommy because she's a lot cooler than you are," Lindsey said slamming the door to her bedroom shut. Before Catherine could say anything more, the doorbell rang.  
  
"Oh what do you want?" she exclaimed, flinging the door open to reveal a surprised looking Grissom.  
  
"Is this a bad time?" he asked, noting how upset Catherine looked.  
  
"If you were a nine year old girl, would you disown your mother over a pair of shoes?" Catherine asked pulling him inside the house.  
  
"Well since I don't think I'm really qualified to answer that, I'll take a wild guess and say that you and Lindsey just got into some sort of argument over said shoes?" Grissom replied.  
  
Catherine nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"It couldn't have been that bad," he said brushing the blond hair out of her eyes.  
  
"Am I a bad mother?" Catherine whispered. 


	2. The past

Chapter Two  
  
"Of all the damn nights," Catherine Willows cursed to herself looking out the window at the pouring rain.  
  
"What the hell's your problem now," Eddie Willows slurred from the couch.  
  
"Nothing, never mind," Catherine replied getting up and walking towards the bedroom.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Eddie asked roughly yanking her onto the couch.  
  
"I need to read some stuff for work okay," Catherine answered moving to get off the couch.  
  
"Love letters from your lab nerds?" Eddie said with a swooping gesture that knocked his beer over.  
  
"Dammit Eddie," Catherine sighed trudging to the kitchen to get a towel. She knelt to sop the foul-smelling puddle up. "You've got to stop doing this."  
  
"Don't you tell me what I can and can't do," he growled grabbing her wrists and shoving her backwards so she landed against the coffee table. Lumbering over to the fridge to grab another beer he mumbled, "Should be barefoot and pregnant instead of ordering me round all high and mighty with her degree."  
  
"You got your wish," Catherine said softly trying to choke back the tears. She would not give him the pleasure of seeing her cry.  
  
"What're you running your mouth about?" he asked crushing a beer can in his palm.  
  
"I'm pregnant you asshole," Catherine said standing up and heading for the door.  
  
"What the..hey where the hell you think you're going?" Eddie asked swinging her back towards him.  
  
"I'm going to work, or to get a cup of coffee, or maybe to go drive my car off the Grand Canyon. I haven't really thought that far ahead," Catherine said struggling to break loose from his grip.  
  
"You're going to go see him aren't you," Eddie said grabbing her car keys out of her hand. "You're going to go cry to your scientist boyfriend, and he'll tell you that I'm just some slob when all he really wants is a good lay, which god knows that man needs."  
  
"SHUT UP EDDIE," Catherine shouted as the tears threatened to fall. "I'm going for a walk, a walk in the pouring down rain so I can think about how horrible of a wife I am. Then maybe when I come back, I'll have transformed into the perfect wife." She slammed the door with a note of finality and dashed out into the storm. She didn't quite know where she was going as she stalked through the streets of Las Vegas, shivering in pajama pants and a long sleeved t-shirt that were both getting quickly drenched.  
  
Eventually, she ended up in a familiar neighborhood. The neat row of townhouses provided little comfort however, after Catherine realized that there was no car in front of the one she was heading for.  
  
"Please be home," she whispered softly as she ventured up the steps. She knocked softly at first, then louder and with increasingly frequency. But she was rewarded with no answer.  
  
"Of all the damn nights for you to be out on the town," she sighed, leaning against the door in exhaustion. She slowly slid down the door until she was sitting on the small porch under what little protection from the rain it offered. And she waited. And after only a few moments of waiting, her tears began to fall as hard as the rain.  
  
As she began to shiver in the cold, her hand drifted down to her stomach. "I'm so sorry," she whispered softly into the night. 


	3. The past

Chapter 3  
  
After a hard day of pulling a double shift, there was nothing more soothing to Gil Grissom than driving in the rain while listening to classical music. As hard as the work day had been, Grissom felt all the tension ease away as he turned onto his street. He was looking forward to sitting down to a good book and a cup of coffee.  
  
All those plans changed however, as Grissom pulled his truck to a halt in front of his townhouse. He squinted, not sure if what he saw was only a figment of his imagination, but he quickly realized that what he saw was very real.  
  
"Gil," whispered the soft voice from the porch as he approached.  
  
"My god," he said taking her icy hands in his as he helped her to her feet. "You're soaking wet. How long have you been here?"  
  
"I don't know," Catherine replied as she began to shiver.  
  
Once inside the house, Grissom brewed some tea while Catherine changed into a pair of sweatpants and a one of his shirts. Shuffling back into the living room wordlessly, she gratefully accepted the warm mug he handed to her. As they both sank onto the couch, Grissom didn't have to ask who was responsible for Catherine's presence on the dreary night. He had noticed the new bruises forming on her wrists and could only imagine what other harm had come to her that night at her husband's hand.  
  
"I thought you were leaving him," he finally blurted out.  
  
"I-I was, but things have changed," Catherine said, her eyes fixed on her hands.  
  
Grissom paused, knowing there was more to this story than a mere change of heart. When the honeymoon between Catherine and Eddie had ended so to speak, she had been angry. Normally when she showed up at his townhouse, she would be fuming at her husband's ignorance and her own stupidity for ever trusting him, but tonight was different. She looked so small and alone wrapped in one of his black button down shirts.  
  
"Catherine," he said softly brushing away a strand of blond hair that had fallen onto her face. At his touch she looked up, and their eyes met.  
  
"It's nothing please don't," she whispered, looking down and trying desperately not to cry.  
  
"Don't what?" Grissom asked, taking one of her slim hands in his.  
  
"Don't tell me it's all going to be alright so long as I leave him," Catherine whimpered, getting up from the couch. She began to pace. "If walking out on Eddie were the solution, I would've done it, tonight in fact. But it's not that easy Gil. God knows I wish it were, but it's not. And you can't even begin to understand what I'm going through."  
  
"I'm sure I can't," Grissom sighed. "But you must've thought I could help you somehow, or else you wouldn't have come here."  
  
"You know," Catherine continued as if she hadn't heard him. "If I were only thinking of myself, this would all work itself out. I'd go back to that slobbering drunk and tell him we were through. And yeah, maybe he'd throw me down the stairs and call me a whore, but it would be over so fast."  
  
"It doesn't have to be like that Catherine," Grissom pleaded. He stood up and crossed to where she was standing in front of the window, placing his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"It won't be," she sighed. "I'm just planning on keeping to myself these next nine months, working as much as possible, and then I can figure things out after that."  
  
"Nine months," Grissom echoed softly, finally putting the pieces together.  
  
She turned to face him, eyes shining with tears, "Can you believe it? I'm going to be a mother. Look at me, an ex-stripper, former coke addict, married to a drunken rock star wannabe."  
  
"You're also a brilliant investigator, warm, loving, caring, and the greatest friend I could've ever asked for," Grissom said leading her back to the couch and wrapping his arms around her. "This baby is going to be proud to have you as her mother."  
  
After an hour of crying in Grissom's arms, Catherine finally stared up at him, sniffling, "Gil, how do you know it's going to be a girl?"  
  
Grissom shrugged, "Call it a hunch."  
  
"I thought you didn't believe in hunches," Catherine replied, snuggling close to him.  
  
"Well I was right about you, wasn't I?" he said, gently stoking her blond hair.  
  
Catherine shook her head sadly, "I have this awful habit of letting people down. My parents, my sisters, it's only a matter of time before I let you down too. I just hope I can get it together enough so I never have to let this baby down."  
  
"Just keep being the outstanding women you are Catherine, and you won't let either of us down," Grissom whispered. 


	4. The present

Chapter 4 "Of course not," Grissom replied pulling her into his arms. "You're a wonderful mother, Catherine."  
  
"But," she began.  
  
"But nothing," Grissom finished for her. "You got into a silly argument over shoes."  
  
"You know, you have this nasty habit of being right," Catherine said regaining her composure. "Why is that?"  
  
"Luck I guess," Grissom said stepping back from her. "You want me to try and use some of that luck to talk to Lindsey?"  
  
"I guess," Catherine replied. "She won't listen to me right now, but maybe she'll listen to you."  
  
Grissom made his way into the little girl's room and found her sitting on her bed pouting.  
  
"How's my favorite girl?" he asked sitting down besides her.  
  
"Did Mommy tell about our fight?" Lindsey asked, looking like she couldn't decide whether to stay mad or give up.  
  
"Kind of," Grissom admitted. "She was pretty upset when I got here."  
  
"Really?" Lindsey whispered, looking extremely guilty. "Did she cry?"  
  
Grissom nodded, "Your mommy loves you very much Lindsey. You know she'd do anything for you, and it makes her really sad to think she's let you down."  
  
"I didn't mean to make her sad," Lindsey said softly. "I just really liked Suzie's shoes. I'd probably get sick of them pretty soon anyways."  
  
Grissom smiled at the little girl, who looked so much like her mother.  
  
"I guess I should probably tell Mommy this shouldn't I?" Lindsey said standing up. "I acted kind of silly, didn't I?"  
  
"You did," Grissom replied. "But now you're acting very grown up, so I think your mommy's going to be very proud of you."  
  
Lindsey beamed at him and scurried into the living room.  
  
THE END 


End file.
